Blue Thief
by AlternateUniverseExplorer
Summary: In 2015, I became obsessed with Sly Cooper, fell for his charms and voice...and then gave up on being a Sonic the Hedgehog fan bcause of its endless fanbase issues. Can you identify the descriptions of each Sonic and Sly character and which ones have changed?


Have you ever felt as someone or something has changed so much, yet some of their aspects remain similar to what they were before? Well, legend has it that a handsome and energetic young boy used to run wild around some green hills. That was back he was fifteen years old. He loved to wear a blue shirt with some matching trousers, along with stylish red sneakers. He also had a little hobby of collecting gold rings, along with a special talent of singing while playing his guitar. He even tried some new things, such as fighting foes with a sword and driving a funky sports car. He also charmed many innocent women and children with his cocky, yet noble personality. But where does he keep all of those rings? His name was Maurice.

His brother was raised by thieves, but became good natured when he got older. His sister dreamed of being treated like a princess. He and his siblings used to escape from cities and reach for the stars to find their real mother, Selena. But unfortunately, the three talented teenagers failed and were separated for many weeks. Luckily, Maurice was not alone for long. His adorable best friend was like a younger brother to him. He would always give him lifts in his trusty plane and wear an orange scarf with white tips on its ends that resembled two fox tails. Another brilliant companion of his was a lad with long radiant red-hair who would do anything to keep his parents' emerald encrusted treasures in loving memory of his home island. Maurice often referred the two as "the brains" and "the brawn". He also received support and had rivalries with many others, including his self-proclaimed biggest fan Rosy and someone who once mistaken him for a no good criminal named Venice.

One night, a young girl in a dashing red dress overheard his amazing singing and the masterful harmony from his guitar. She may be the princess of her own peaceful and care-free world, but she had been frightened a few times throughout her life. She slowly approached him, looking formal and feminine. Maurice saw her as a really close friend, but he was unaware of her feelings towards him. "Hello Mr. Maurice." she greeted, her auburn hair blowing gracefully in the peaceful wind.

"Denise! Long time no see!" The two were delighted to meet each other. However, Denise's sweet smile quickly vanished.

"I have something to tell you…"

"Hey…what's wrong?" Maurice asked with a concerned look, noticing her pouting lips, then looking into her misty blue eyes.

"Sweetie…I…" The beautiful lady steadily broke down into tears. "I don't think I can be with you anymore!"

"What?! W-why?" her hero replied, letting her weep in his arms. "We're good friends! I have rescued you about three times even since we met…because you are a likeable and innocent girl who won't even hurt a fly. You deserve a good life." He then sighed as he listened to her soft yet sorrowful weeping. "Let me guess…it's them again."

"I'm sorry sweetie! But it is indeed them! They never wanted me to be with you since the damn beginning of the moment we got close! It's all of those death threats from those brutes. When I realised that they wanted to you be with Rosy, I could not stop feeling so sinful about it. It…it's my fault!"

"No it's not! You haven't done anything wrong! Remember when you gave me a bandage when I got a wound on my arm? Remember when I sang a little song for you? Remember when we…?"

"Yes I do…" Denise's head slowly repelled from her hero's shoulder. Her fear remained as she made eye contact with him again. "But all I get is hate…for simply returning the favour!" The poor lady began to cry as if she was never allowed to cry before. "They kept saying that I don't need to exist, I'm useless, I've ruined you…the list goes on. The same thing is still happening to Christopher!" Before Maurice could try and set up the good old days of their beautiful friendship with the power of his charisma, Denise placed both of her hands on his cheeks, keeping him silent. "G-goodbye, my dear prince. This is probably for the best!" Full of undeserved guilt, Denise kissed him quickly and fled, leaving the boy all by himself, a wave of realisation washing over him. Maurice traced about ten of her steps, calling out her name, but he stopped. Finally understanding that the poor girl could not take the pain anymore, he fell onto his knees and let out a heart-breaking whisper,

"Okay Denise. I…hope to see you again eventually." Despite his hope, he believed that it could not be possible. He began to feel as if he was responsible for making the world become Denise's lifetime bully. "And your cousin Christopher too." Slowly standing up, remorseful tears oozed in his eyes. "I hope you…just smile…"

Many months past. Maurice was sitting down in his grey pyjamas, almost curling up into a ball on his bed. He had a chili dog for dinner, but his worries just had to come back after he brushed his teeth. The news about him finally breaking up with another girl named Alicia was spread about his neighbourhood. His adoptive family were close to becoming bankrupt ever since the year after the death of his father. They knew they had to take care of him and be proud of him for being a hero, but there was nothing they could do when he felt as if he has lost another ally. Maurice felt as if he had no hope and confidence left in him whatsoever. The reason for this was simple. After some of his new experiences, he received hate mail and complaints. Thousands more of them were aimed at each other, causing his audience from the other realm to fall apart according to his arch-enemy's research. It had always been like that way ever since he befriended Ben, a chubby fisherman who would never let his pet frog out of his sight. No one else, besides the brains and almost everyone else he truly cared for knew about how much it was driving him into insanity. The callous cackles and hostile heckling rang in his head…

"You're dead to us now!"

"Just let your ego die already!"

"You belong with Rosy! Not that bitch Denise! I have the right to hate Denise all I want!"

"Ever since that clown in purple rags came along, you have disappointed us…you arrogant douchebag!"

"You're way too damn childish."

"No wonder the red plumber is more popular than you."

"They just keep ruining you. Just run far away and never return."

Maurice stood up, wiping away his tears of heartbreak and betrayal. He indeed likes Rosy, but as a younger sister figure. The guilt of breaking up with Alicia just wouldn't fade away. The thought of leading Denise, her cousin and possibly a few more of his allies to hatred made it so much worse. He had enough. He felt stale and irrelevant. All of the bashing and drama from the other realm finally got to him. What's a noble knight of the wind who seems to have lost his credibility according to many to do? He uncurled himself, remained still and quietly said to himself,

"There must be some way to sense freedom again. Running around at the speed of sound just isn't enough anymore…" After a minute of pondering, an idea popped into his head, causing him to slowly sit up.

He deviously and quietly crept into his adoptive mother's bedroom, reminding himself of a certain someone he never met, but eventually got an idea of what he was like. The adventurous boy knelt down beside her bed and carefully pulled out something from underneath it, grinning with fascination. It was a long wooden staff with a shiny hook attached to one end of it. After letting it rest on the bed, he began to pull a small brown treasure box that was also hidden under the bed towards him. An eye mask lying still on top of a pile of old photographs was revealed as he opened the box with one hand without a single sign of hesitation. It looked rather gloomy. It has not been worn for a very long time. Slowly taking hold of it with both hands, Maurice whispered to himself,

"Dad…"

He placed the mask by the staff as he felt a weak urge to cry again. As he took a closer look at one of the photographs, the urge became stronger. The photograph he picked up was a moment of his biological parents' wedding. He took out another one with his other hand, which showed him as a baby in his real mother's arms while his father was resting his hands on her shoulders. He closed his eyes and thought of his brother and his sister, along with the biological parents he never knew as a child. A tear formed in each eye as Maurice allowed himself to see again, but this time his tears were filled with childhood loss instead of guilt. Together, the tears fell on his lap, leaving a pair of damp marks on his trousers. He remembered his adoptive mother Bernadette describing his occupation to him with the treasures by her side when he was three years younger, about Rosy's age. She was also there to help him and his sibling reunite with their real mother, which never happened. Having no choice but to put his foot down against the wrath and stupidity of hundreds once and for all, Maurice's eyes gleamed with new sudden optimism as he looked up...

The boy is now a man, aged twenty-one, wearing his favourite shade of blue once again, but in a different way. He now follows his father's footsteps as a cunning gentleman thief, which reminds him of his missing brother. He holds his father's staff and wears his mask with pride and honour. Not only is he happy that he has learnt to be a thief who only steals from other thieves, but he still enjoys singing and playing at any occasion as if he was fifteen and with his siblings again. There is hardly evidence of his old nemesis' recent whereabouts. His new nemesis may be a feisty police officer, but she is indeed an attractive woman who held her father's gun and would do her best to honour him. Their love may not be rational, but it is indeed quite physical, which is why Maurice loves it. Little does he know that the sexy police officer is Denise's protective older sister, who is yet to fall for his charms…or perhaps a memorable song…or possibly a kiss. And hopefully she will help Denise become an independent woman. The absence of the younger sister and presence of the elder are one of the reasons why things have greatly changed in his life.

Maurice often thinks about how proud he is of the brains growing up and staying strong, despite the fact that he now has to roll around in a wheelchair and became dependent on a big pair of glasses. Since the brains is now only fourteen, Maurice and the brawn would still look out for him like responsible older brothers, although, the brains has proven himself to be rather self-determining as he guides Maurice throughout his quests. His plane may have been destroyed when he was ten, but his selflessness was unbreakable. The brawn eventually became a trustworthy van driver and gained a hobby of wrestling on weekends. But as for the rest of his faithful allies, he has not seen any of them ever since he was sixteen, yet a week close to turning seventeen. Ultimately, since he wanted to put the past behind him, he thought that it was possibly for the best. Then again, he hoped they would all still be alive and well, especially Denise and Christopher. And as for Bernadette, somewhere up there, she's wishing him good luck on his heists. To him, a new Maurice is a happy Maurice. Nevertheless, he is still handsome, athletic, and once again confident, not letting anyone get in his way of honouring his father. Sneaking back into the brawn's van with a bag of goods…possibly including some more rings, Maurice tells the brains and the brawn that he is finally ready to avenge Bernadette and that the one who took her life is going to pay the price. Almost every time the brawl starts the van, he thinks about how proud he is to be a new Maurice. Maurice Cooper.


End file.
